New Neighbors
by Wings Of Sanguine
Summary: Ryuko Matoi moves to a new town, only to get herself lost. Two-shot. (DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SOUL EATER, KILL LA KILL OR ANY OF THEIR CHARACTERS)
1. Chapter 1

Maka twirled the end of her pigtails on her finger as she sat in the hall. The wall was cold against her back, and she watched as other misters and their weapons walked around, a few of them piling out of the exam room like mad. She sighed- why was her weapon so bad when it came to taking tests? The guillotine styled ceiling glinted brightly as sunlight cast rays through the open windows. Thin shadows crept across the floor, creating stripes on the plush red carpet.

"Woo-hoo!" Black Star's shout of defiance made Maka jump as he dragged his weapon, Tsubaki, out of the testing room. Placing his hands on his hips, he puffed out his chest, a proud grin on his face. Maka raised an eyebrow at Tsubaki, who only hung her head in defeat.

"I did awesome, right Tsubaki?!" Black Star yelled. Tsubaki nodded reluctantly.

"Of course, Black Star," she agreed politely, sending Maka a look that screamed for help. Clearing her throat, she asked, "So you thought the test was easy then?" Black Star blinked at her, pushing his spiky blue hair back before blowing a raspberry.

"Why wouldn't it be easy?" he snorted, pointing to himself, "I after all will one day surpass the gods!" Maka groaned as Black Star then submitted to maniacal laughter, which happened all too often. She watched as Tsubaki tried calming him down. With the way the two of them acted, it was hard to believe that Tsubaki was really the only weapon to match Black Star's…. personality for lack of a better term. The starry assassin was completely reckless and idiotic. Maka recalled their first day at the DWMA- Death Weapon Meister Academy if you wanted to use the full term. The kid had already been climbing the structures to scream at the top of his lungs as if he were a protester standing on a soap box in Times Square. A few students swerved around the trio, their friend Ox giving Black Star a head shake of disapproval. Finally, after watching a group of girls squealing over how gross dissecting frogs was, he finally came out of the testing room, idly running a hand through his white hair to fix his headband.

"So how was the test?" Tsubaki asked him. He smirked, showing off a set of fanged teeth.

"No biggie, since Maka let me copy her notes earlier," he laughed. Maka let out a soft chuckle- her weapon, Soul Eater Evans- never paid much attention in class. With his menacing red eyes, he often tried picking fights with other students instead of focusing on his studies. Giggles dying down, he took his spot against the wall next to Maka.

"Well, that's good," Maka agreed, "wanna wait for Kid and the twins before heading out?" Soul shrugged, Tsubaki and Black Star joining them up against the wall themselves.

"We've got all day, so why not?" Tsubaki replied, fixing her long black ponytail.

It took a few minutes, but Death the Kid and his weapons, Liz and Patty, finally led the exam, Death The Kid looking worse for the wear. Knowing him, he was probably trying to make sure every single letter in his name was written symmetrically on the paper for the majority of the test- not like that hadn't happened before.

"Summer! Summer!" Patty cheered, Kid and Liz clapping their hands to their ears. Patty continued chanting, her cheeks a rosy read as her short blond hair swayed around her face. The small cowboy hat she wore bunched on her head along with her- and her breasts, which were squeezed into a cashmere red turtleneck shirt.

"I almost forgot about the vacation," Tsubaki said as the group started to make their way down the hall. Liz groaned flicking her long blond hair over her shoulder. She wore an outfit identical to her younger twin's, although her chest was a bit smaller. Maka remembered that it bothered Kid a lot, that the twins' bust sizes were not symmetrical. In fact, Liz was at least a foot taller than Patty, and both of them were wearing heeled boots.

"Don't remind me," Liz said, rubbing her temples, "Patty won't shut up about it." As if to confirm this, Patty stuck out her fingers, beginning to count on them.

"Oh, oh! First, we're gonna go the museums!" she said excitedly, "and then I heard that there was a festival in town-"

"No festivals, Patty," Kid cut her off, voice tinged with annoyance.

"What's wrong with festivals?" Maka asked, but only got a shiver in reply. She shrugged, thinking _I guess that story will have to wait then_. They were outside the school now, making their way across the entryway landing to the large stone steps. The cobblestones bit into the soles of the misters and weapons shoes. After making it down the first flight to the second landing, Black Star hopped over to the railing, kicking off his shoes.

"Not cool, not cool!" he complained, sliding down the railing until he was sitting on the steps, rubbing his foot. Maka pinched her nose as the smell of his feet bombarded her nose.

"Did something die in your shoe?" Soul joked, waving a hand in his face.

"No!" Black Star whined, "there was a pebble in my shoe! A pebble!" Shoving a hand into his black and white steel-toed boot, he pulled out a small pebble, the surface smoothed over to perfection, save a few bit crumbling away between his fingers.

"Really?" Kid said flatly, "you stopped us for a pebble? We could have been at the bottom of the stairs by now!"

"It isn't my fault your dad made these stupid stairs so big, okay?!" Black Star shot back. Kid crossed his arms, the sleeves of his black button down shirt tugging at the shoulders.

"It isn't my fault you're so slow then," he said, "besides, he only did what he did because he knows I like things to match." His eyes bugged out of their sockets when Liz and Patty snorted.

"Yeah right!" Liz cackled, "more like obsessed!" Patty clapped a hand on her sister's shoulder, holding her stomach as she doubled over. Tears of joy dotted the corners of her eyes.

"Besides," Patty giggled, "you aren't even symmetrical yourself!"

Maka gulped as Kid's face paled, his hands flying to cover the three white stripes in his black hair. They were a major sore spot for him, and whenever they were mentioned he'd blubber like a baby in three…

Two…..

He had already started kneeling, curling his hands into fists. The tiniest pinpricks of tears were in his eyes. Soul leaned into her, whispering in her ear, "Wait for it…."

One.

"I'm garbage!" Kid wailed, pounding his fists on the floor, "trash!" Tsubaki crouched next to him, rubbing his back.

"No you're not," she said soothingly, Liz and Patty merely watching the meltdown. Sniffing he looked up at her, a hopeful glint in his golden eyes.

"I- I'm not….?"

Tsubaki shook her head, "Of course not- why, you're…." she struggled for the words, looking to Maka and Soul for help.

"The best Meister I know!" Maka interjected helpfully, raising a finger and putting on a smile. Kid wiped away his tears, snot dripping from his nose as Tsubaki helped him stand up. Tugging at his lapels, he brushed dust off his clothes, throwing his shoulders back defiantly.

"Well then," he said, a grin playing on his lips, "I guess we should go enjoy the summer, no?" With a chorus of agreement, the students carefully picked their way down the stairs, legs and joints aching by the time they made it to the bottom.

"Next time Lord Death decides to make a school, ask him to make less stairs, alright?" Soul snickered as they began trekking into town, the bright lights and crowded streets a welcoming sight after being cooped up in classes for so long. Maka figured they were in school for at least one hundred and eighty four days. Out of the full three hundred and sixty five, that would count as a full year of school, right? She asked them.

"We literally just got out of school and you're already talking about it?" Soul complained, shoving his hands in the pockets of his red jeans. Maka blushed.

"Right right," she nodded, staring at her black and white boots, "it's summer. We should do something fun." Cars honked as they drove down the street, traffic jamming at a stop light momentarily. Engines purred as the light turned green. A pigeon landed on a telephone wire, bobbing its head back and forth. Maka let her green eyes trail over the stores and buildings that lined the block, her face falling when it landed on the local club. Apparently Soul was following her gaze, for he decided to put in his two cents.

"Your dad still goes to that place?" he asked, laughing as they watched the man in question stumble into the doors, two buxom and model-tall women greeting him cheerfully. Maka nodded.

"Unfortunately," she said snidely, "but whatever. I just wanna focus on summer, okay?" Nodding, Soul pulled at his headband. The red lips pinned to the cloth slid sideways as Soul pulled at it.

"Alright then!" Black Star cried, "what are we gonna do first?!"

"Let's go somewhere with air-conditioning!" Liz said, "it's a sauna out here!" Her skin had a nice sheen of sweat, and she was fanning herself with her hat, identical to the one Patty was wearing. Maka shrugged off her long black coat to agree. ever since they had left the school it felt like they were walking through a desert. _Wearing a black coat doesn't really help though_, Maka thought, folding it over her arm as she followed her friends down the block.

"If it helps matters," Kid said, "we've got a pool at my house." Maka cocked her head, Soul and Black Star's eyes filled with awe.

"Bet you I can make a bigger cannonball!" Black Star challenged, pumping his fist in the air. Soul jabbed his elbow into the blue haired boy's ribs.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" he shot back. Liz shrugged.

"I guess that settles it then," Kid rubbed his hands together, skull rings twisting around his fingers. The metal was shiny and obviously well cared for. Maka sighed, reluctantly following. She hated how she looked in a bathing suit. Mostly because of her flat chest- compared to the other girls, she looked like a little kid instead of a teenager.

"Okay," she said, "I guess we should go to the apartment and grab our suits then?" Soul nodded, wiping perspiration off his brow.

"Yeah, definitely" he said, "you guys wanna come with us?"

"You do realize that not everything is a group effort, right?" Maka scolded him, although she really didn't mind if the others came along. She enjoyed their company. _And besides_, she thought as they turned the corner, _it beats out Papa's company any day_.

The building was a few houses down, right in the middle of the block, to be exact. Sometimes she'd sing that song from the commercial to wake Soul up in the morning, just so they'd get to school on time. The wooden door was rough against her hand as Maka pushed it open, a cool burst of air blasting them in the face, a bell signaling their presence. Bliss was plastered on all the teens faces, Liz roughly wiping away drool from the corner of her mouth. The stairs creaked as they climbed up them slowly, savoring every bit of the cold as they could. Finally, they came to a stop in front of Maka and Soul's apartment. "2B" was etched in an iron plaque that hung on the door. Soul slipped inside, peeking his head out of the door.

"I'll grab the suits, Maka," he said, "I'll meet you guy in the lobby, 'kay?"

"But we were just in the lobby," Maka said, "and besides, it's rude to keep people waiting in the hall." Soul shrugged, closing the door in her face with a grunt. Grumbling, Maka ushered the group back down the stairs and into the lobby.

At a first glance, the lobby to the building looked empty, but in reality, it was usually filled with a straggle of people. Sometimes though, these people stayed in a room for one night, so it was almost like a hotel. She had everyone sit on the couch that was pushed up against the far wall, across the room from the front desk. A brown table sat in front of the couch with a stack of magazines- measly entertainment everyone knew would last for only a few minutes. The light hanging overhead flickered, a fly buzzing around the bulb.

"So how big is your pool?" Black Star asked Kid after awkwardly sitting on the uncomfortable leather for a few minutes. Kid shrugged, flicking the ends of his bangs out of his face.

"Knowing my father, it's very luxurious," Kid grinned with satisfaction, "and it's symmetrical all the way around, so that ultimately makes it awesome. No doubt about it." Maka pulled up the sleeve to her sweater, checking her watch. According to the clock, a good five minutes had passed.

"How long does it take to grab two bathing suits?" she wondered aloud, letting her hand fall to her side. Tsubaki shrugged.

"Maybe he's in the bathroom?" she guessed.

"Oh well," Maka released a breath, "at least there's AC, right?" Before anyone could reply, the ringing of the bell caught her attention, and she craned her neck to see a girl walk in, blue eyes scanning the lobby.

"Do you know her?" Tsubaki asked Maka as they watched the girl walk up to the front desk, tapping the bell with a finger.

"No," Maka shook her head, "I've never seen her before. You?" Amidst garbled chatter they came to the conclusion that this girl, whoever she was, was definitely new to town. In fact, she looked to be their age, with short hair that looked to be blue or black, spending on the angle. single re streak was in her bangs, whisked to the side of her face. She wore a black and red sailor uniform with white high-top sneakers adorning her feet.

Normally, this would be an indifferent ensemble at a high school in, say, Japan. But this was Death City. And her sailor uniform looked a bit…. unorthodox, if that was the right word to use. Sure, it had the flap on the back and the ribbon tied in the front, along with the short pleated skirt. However, under the right lapel of the collar was a yellow triangle with an orange circle in the center, outlined in red to match the ribbing tied in a knot in the front. The other side had a four-points gray star stitched on it. Maka raised an eyebrow as she continued to stare- a pair of suspenders were attached to the waistband of the skirt, disappearing up the shirt, which was short enough to show off a flat stomach. _Weird_, she thought, eyes falling on the case the girl held. It looked like a guitar case, although the silver exterior was battered and dented.

"You know," Kid pointed out, " she rang the bell at least ten minutes ago, and the landlord hasn't shown up yet." Maka raised an eyebrow at him- had that much time really passed? And if so, where was Soul with their bathing suits?

"The landlord doesn't really do anything anymore, so this is kinda like a free boarding house now," Maka explained with a heavy sigh, "I should tell her he isn't gonna show up, huh?" With a nod from Kid, Maka called over to her,"Hey!"

"Oh?" the girl replied with a stutter, turning with surprise. Her hands tightened on the straps to the guitar case as she slung it up on her back.

"The landlord doesn't really work here anymore," Maka explained, "so you can just go on up and claim any room that's empty." To seal the deal, Maka smiled- something she learned always won people over. Shrugging her shoulders, the girl made her way across the room, the sound of her high-tops hitting the wood as she clambered up the stairs. Kid snorted, watching as she disappeared on the first floor.

"Could have said thanks, you know," he grumbled. Maka shrugged.

"Oh well," she said, "maybe next time." She cast her gaze back to the stairs, relieved to see Soul coming down with two bathing suit slung over his arm. "Finally! What took you so long?"

"Sorry," he said sheepishly, holding the suit up, "I had them and then I ran into some girl." Maka cocked her head as Soul went to sit down on the couch, plopping himself next to Kid and Black Star.

"So you saw her too?" Tsubaki asked, resting her hands on her knees. Soul raised an eyebrow at her, replying, "Who are you talking about?"

"We just saw a girl come in," Liz explained, "she had a guitar case on her back."

"Oh!" Soul snapped his fingers, "are you talking about a girl wearing a red and black sailor outfit?" Maka nodded as Soul went on, "yeah- she wanted me to tell you guys thanks or whatever." He opened his mouth to say more, instead digging between his teeth with a nail when he couldn't find the words.

"Is something the matter?" Patty asked innocently. Soul nodded.

"Well, she was mumbling to someone," he said, "at first I thought she was on a phone, but as she got closer I realized that she didn't have one." Maka pursed her lips- that was definitely weird. But who would she have been talking to?

"Then who was she talking to?" Tsubaki voiced her thoughts, receiving a snicker from Soul.

"It looked like she was talking to herself," he chuckled.

"You do realize that a lot of people do that, right?" Maka pointed out, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, but she kept using a name," he said, "Senketsu or something like that…." He waved his hand lazily, "Whatever. I got the suits, let's just go to Kid's place, yeah?"

As they filed out of the building, Maka could hear footsteps from behind. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the girl bounding recklessly down the stairs, guitar case bouncing against her back as she narrowly avoided hitting the wall.

"Thanks!" she called out as she squeezed past the crew through the door, leaping over a crack in the sidewalk before smiling at them from over her shoulder. Kid leaned into Maka, saying out of the side of his mouth, "I guess that was next time." Maka nodded.

"Guess so," she agreed, letting the door to the apartments swing sit behind her.


	2. Chapter 2

Ryuko silently cursed herself out after running out of the building- why had she been so stupid?! Already, talking to Senketsu in front of Mako was fine, but that was only because back at Honnuji Academy, Mako actually knew what Senketsu was. The boy she had bumped into in the hall didn't have a clue.

"Ryuko, be careful," Senketsu warned as they slowed to a stop at the bus station, "you're blood is getting hot." Panting, Ryuko flipped her hair out of her eyes, absentmindedly brushing the red strand to the side. She could feel sweat dampen under her arms.

"Yeah, yeah," she chided him, "I just wanna get around this town, okay?"

"Whatever you say Ryuko," Senketsu complied, "but obviously people take things differently here than back home." Ryuko reached into her pocket and pulled out a map, nearly tearing it as she ripped it open.

"Let's see…" she trailed, eyes darting along the thin lines marking railroad tracks and bright dots marking tourist attractions. Her brain, however, kept flashing to the boy. He was definitely not as weird as, say, Gamagoori, but still a little strange looking, with spiky white hair and red eyes. _Of course_, Ryuko thought, casting her eyes up momentarily to see the streetlight turn green, _Gamagoori was twenty years old. An adult. _Her guitar case was heavy against her back, the straps digging into her shoulders as she hosted it up.

"You seem to have calmed down a bit," Senketsu commented, "thinking of Mako, I presume?" Ryuko followed the crowd as they crossed the street, folding the map and shoving it back in her pocket. Sure, mako calmed her down whenever she was angry, but she wasn't mad at anything. It was the nagging feeling about that boy that tugged at the back of her mind. His exaction had been subtle, but still obvious when he had caught her angrily yelling at Senketsu. _To him it looked like I was talking to my boobs, dear god_, Ryuko realized.

"Well?" Senketsu pressed.

"Huh?" Ryuko snapped out of her trance, staring down at the yellow and orange part of her uniform, made to look like an eyeball. The triangle was outlined in a bright red that popped against the black uniform.

"You know, you seem very out of it right now," Senketsu said, "shall we ask people for directions?" Ryuko sighed, slumping her shoulders. She hated asking people for help. It was probably because of how she had been all throughout school: reckless, tough and a little bit of a juvenile delinquent. After absorbing her surroundings, she realized that Senketsu was ultimately right. She was completely and utterly lost. Hooking her thumb into one of her suspender straps, she continued strolling own the block until she was in a more suburban area, houses lined up like soldiers on either side of the street.

"So," Ryuko asked the Kamui, "who are we gonna ask?"

"Correction," Senketsu said, "who are you going to ask. They can't hear me, remember?"

"Right, right," Ryuko nodded. It was often something Ryuko forgot- resulting in people giving her strange looks when she talked to Senketsu in public. For example, the boy in the apartment building. Pushing the thought away, she went from house to house, but to no avail. Everyone was either too friendly or just plain nasty, kicking her off their porch as soon as they could.

"Geez, is everyone in this town so cranky?!" Ryuko complained as she stomped to the next house. After the last home-owner threatened to sic his dogs on her she high-tailed it out of there as fast as she could. Now she was at the end of the street, praying that this house would harbor polite inhabitants.

"Nice place," Senketsu pointed out. Ryuko took a step back to take a peek. The walkway was outlined with black, the grass looking almost dead, but neatly trimmed. A wraparound porch was painted black, adorned with what look like busts of oddly shaped, yet somehow identical looking skulls. Candles adorned hanging chandeliers n either side of the door, and a large awning was resting place to a larger skull the size of a boulder, identical to the ones decoration the porch.

It was definitely an interesting looking house, the two had to admit.

Swallowing, she approached the door, raising a fist. The silver tab hanging out of the hem of her red glove glinted momentarily before she rapped her knuckles on the door. Backing up, she clutched the straps of her guitar case, unsure of what to do. She was about to knock again when she heard a voice from inside:

"I got it! You guys just go ahead and go in the back, 'kay?"

"It seems he has people over," Ryuko said nonchalantly, registering that the speaker was, in fact, a man. Footsteps were muffled, followed by the clinking of locks being door creaked on its hinges as i swung forward, Ryuko emitting a gasp before she was able to stop herself.

It seemed the boy recognized her too. His eyes widened before he registered that she was standing there, clearing his throat.

"Anything I can help you with?" he asked politely, his face turning pink. Ryuko crossed her arms, picking at the silver tab on her glove with her nail. This wasn't the boy she and met in the hallway back at the building, but she could recognize him as one of the boys in the lobby.

"I'm kinda lost….." she said sheepishly, and she swore she saw Senketsu roll his yellow eye. Ryuko met eyes with him, caught off guard by the bright gold color. They seemed to almost blend in with his pale skin, contrasting considerably with his black hair. Tilting her head, she inspected his hair- it struck her as odd that there would be three white stripes on the left side since, judging from the looks of it, he was very coordinated.

"Uh-huh," he said, "and this pertains to me how?"

"I just wanna now how to get around this stupid town!" Ryuko scoffed, feeling her face heat up as she glared at him. The boy raised an eyebrow at her before sighing reluctantly, stepping aside to open the door wider.

"Come inside then," he offered, boredom dripping in his voice, "I can have my father help you." Ryuko took the invitation, digging her dirty white sneakers into the plush red carpeting that rested on the black and white tiled floor. The corridors had elaborate black stone archways, torches and candles lining the walls. Shadows danced across the floor as they walked through the hall, the boy finally leading her to the backyard. before opening the back door, he turned to her, saying, "Just a warning- my friends are a bit rambunctious." Ryuko shrugged.

"They're probably a lot better than the Elite Four, so bring it on," she challenged, receiving a confused stare.

"Ryuko, they don't know about Honnuji Academy," Senketsu said unhelpfully. Ryuko glared at her uniform, despite the fact that she knew she looked weird if she did.

"I know that, 'kay?!" she cried aloud, "so just shut up or I won't iron you tonight!" She waited a moment before grinning smugly. Senketsu was such a sucker for being ironed that it was almost funny, how he'd do anything just to feel the warmth night after night, the wrinkles rising from the cloth like a phoenix rising from its ashes. Returning her attention back to the boy, she apologized, "Sorry- I guess you wanna go in the yard then?" Sucking in a breath, he opened the door, and Ryuko shielded her eyes as the sun hit her face.

"Hey, Kid!" she heard a boy yell, "wanna have a cannonball contest?!" Ryuko looked at the boy, with his weird, spiky blue hair, then back at the host.

"Your name is Kid?" Ryuko said incredulously.

"For your information, only my friends call me that," he informed her, "and my full name is Death The Kid." Ryuko nodded, rubbing her hands up and down the straps of her guitar case.

"So Kid is a nickname?" Kid nodded, pointing to the boy with blue hair as he whooped and jumped into a rather large, circular pool. Water splashed everywhere, making the pool's deck look slippery.

"His name is Black Star," Kid introduced, then moving on to a group of girls sitting on the side of the pool, "The one with the pigtails is Maka." Ryuko followed his finger to look at a girl with brown twin pigtails, dipping her feet in the water.

"Who's the girl sitting next to her?" Ryuko pointed out a taller girl with a large chest and long black hair tied into a thin ponytail.

"That's Tsubaki," he said, then pointing to two girls, "And Liz and Patty." Ryuko nodded, eyeing the two of them. One- Liz- was taller than the other, with straight dirty blond hair cascading down her back. The shorter one- Patty- had short blond hair and bright blue eyes. Kid ushered her over to the deck.

"Oh- and that's Soul," Kid pointed to a boy as his head broke through the water, and Ryuko recognized him as the one in the hall. His white hair was slicked back from his face and he rubbed chlorinated water from his red water, Soul said, "Maka, come in the water!" Ryuko watched as Maka turned her head away stubbornly.

"I'm perfectly fine putting my feet in!" she protested, followed by a scream as she was pulled in. Soul got to the surface, laughing as Maka splashed him, "Soul!"

"Okay! Okay!" he splashed back, mouth stretched into a wide grin. Pulling her eyes away from Sul and Maka, Ryuko found the twins looking at her with interest, Tsubaki following suit.

"Kid, are you gonna introduce us?" Tsubaki asked politely, sending Ryuko a smile. Kid cleared his throat, capturing his friend's attention until his face flooded with realization.

"You never gave him your name, Ryuko," Senketsu said amusingly. Ryuko felt her eye twitch.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious!" Ryuko shot sarcastically back at him, noticing the strange looks from Kid and his friends.

"Are you okay?" Kid asked warily.

"Yeah, sorry," she replied, pulling again at her guitar case- her Scissor Blade was getting heavier as she stood there. Coughing, she gestured to herself, "I'm Matoi. Ryuko Matoi." Uncomfortably, Kid nodded, gesturing to the yard, the pool, his friends.

"Well, make yourself at home," he said, "and I'll find my dad for you." There was an awkward silence as Kid went back in the house, the slam of his back door sounding like a death sentence. His friends either shot her awkward look or tried their best to ignore her. _Figures_, Ryuko thought, nudging the grass with her toe.

"Ryuko, huh?"

Ryuko jumped, turning to find the blue haired kid- Black Star, she remembered- scrutinizing her, circling her like a lion going for its prey. She nodded.

"Uh, yeah," she said flatly, "you're Black Star, right?" He nodded, puffing out his skinny chest. The legs of his blue bathing suit looked baggy on his legs.

"The greatest Meister at the Academy!" he proclaimed, "and one day I'm gonna surpass the gods!" Ryuko nodded reluctantly, sending the others a look that hopefully cried for help. She grimaced when she realized that Liz and Soul looked completely bored; Maka and Tsubaki were trying not to look annoyed. Patty was completely oblivious, working a giraffe shaped floating device onto her waist, splashing around like a child. Black Star, she assumed, must be annoying at all times then. Ryuko figured they hung out with him out of pity or something.

Tip-toeing around him, Ryuko made her way onto the deck, plopping herself down next to Maka, who had pulled herself out of the pool. Kicking off her shoes and socks, she asked, "Mind if I sit here?"

"Sure," Maka said, then, "do you play guitar?" It took a minute for the question to settle.

"She means the case, Ryuko," Senketsu piped up. Ryuko groaned- if she yelled anymore at Senketsu, they definitely would probably want to kick her out. Biting her lip, Ryuko dipped her feet in the water. It was cold, sliding smoothly over her skin, between her toes.

"Um, no, not really," she said nervously. Soul swam to the side of the pool, resting his arms on the edge.

"So what's that for?" he asked, water dripping off his face and hair. Ryuko felt the heat of the sun burn into her back, warming up Senketsu like a cup of tea cooking in the microwave. Shrugging the car off her back, she smiled to herself, stroking it affectionately. If she told them, she wasn't sure how they'd take it. They didn't know anything about Honnuji Academy or Kamuis, so this was probably going to be a surprise. Sighing, Ryuko leaned back on the deck, wrists cracking as she leaned on them.

"It's for, uh…." she found herself trailing off, looking down at Senetsu for help. But the Kamui was silent. _Finally shut up, eh?_ Ryuko sent her thoughts out to him, looking into the group's expectant faces.

"Hey!" Patty piped up, "is your weapon with you?" The girl squealed as her sister slapped her upside he head. Ryuko raised an eyebrow, shivering slightly as the water chilled her feet.

"Weapon….?"

Liz crossed her arms as she waded in the pool, rolling her eyes as she said, "You know, your Weapon? You get assigned a weapon at the beginning of your first year at the Academy." Ryuko shook her head- she and no idea aha they were talking about. The closest people came to with weapons at Honnuji Academy were Goku Uniforms, one to three stars. Ryuko glanced at her Scissor blade, sitting patiently inside the guitar case.

"If you don't have a weapon than where's your Meister?" Maka piped up.

"Meister….?" Ryuko gave them a blank stare. Shaking her head, she corrected herself, "Sorry, i just have no idea what you're talking about."

"You go to DWMA, don't you?" Maka asked, blinking her large green eyes. Ryuko shrank back, pulling her legs out of the water to sit cross-legged on the deck. Droplets of water decorated the wood.

"I have no clue what that stands for," Ryuko said.

"Death Weapon Meister Academy," Soul spelled it out for her. He shook his head like a dog, spraying everyone with water, "where Meisters and Weapons learn to synchronize souls in order to collect kisshin." Ryuko nodded, trying to follow the explanation. Kisshins were also something students at Honnuji Academy didn't deal with- whatever they were. Risking it, Ryuko glanced down at her uniform.

"Senketsu," she hissed, "do you know what kisshin are?!"

"I know as much as you do, Ryuko," Senketsu replied.

"Is Senketsu your Weapon's name?" Maka asked. Tight-lipped, Ryuko shook her head. She didn't trust herself to answer the question. Would a Kamui be considered a weapon though? It was back home.

"Uh…." Ryuko tugged at her collar, staring at the back door. Where had Kid gone?! She shot another glance at the case before continuing, "Um, I don't know what that is."

"Oh," Maka's face fell, but only for a moment. She suddenly sprung up, raising a hand to point at her friends. Soul jumped as she jab be her index finger at him. Ryuko and him shared a confused look before Maka yelled with authority, "Soul is a Weapon- same goes for Tsubaki, Liz, and Patty."

"Okay?"

Maka pointed to herself, "I am a Meister- as is Kid and… apparently Black Star." Ryuko chuckled as she grimaced when mentioning Black Star's name- _He mustn't be a good Meister then_, she thought as she watched Maka gesticulate excitedly. But it still didn't explain what exactly a Meister or a Weapon did- or what either of those really were. As far as Ryuko knew, she was sitting in a backyard with a bunch of normal teenagers. A bird flew overhead, landing to rest on a fence next door.

"And what do you guys do?" Ryuko asked, clasping her hands in her lap, hunching forward.

"Like we said, Meisters and Weapons synchronize in order to collect kisshins-" Maka reiterated.

"Those are souls that have gone bad," Soul cut in helpfully.

"- and to have our goal is to have our weapons become a Death Scythe that Lord Death himself can wield," Tsubaki chimed in, nodding her head vigorously as she added reluctantly, "Although Black Star and I aren't really going to be at that point any time soon."

"So you're his…. Weapon?" Ryuko rolled her tongue around the word. Tsubaki nodded.

"Yeah," she said, "but whenever we go on missions he always gets us caught," she admitted, her face going red. Ryuko nodded, glancing down at Senketsu yet again. With the way things worked, he was probably her Weapon, and she the Meister, if they were to be evaluated by their terms.

"So you said that you, you, you and you are Weapons?" Ryuko pointed to each of the self- proclaimed Weapons- Soul, Tsubaki, Liza and Patty. "And if Tsubaki here is Black Star's Weapon, then who else is whose Weapon?" Soul grunted, pushing himself out of the pool to sit besides Maka, who was still standing defiantly.

"I'm Maka's Weapon," Soul explained, "and those two are Kid's." He jabbed a thumb at the sisters- Liz was currently trying to get Patty to stop using the flotation device and swim on her own- after all, she was old enough to do so. _Two weapons?_ Ryuko thought a Patty splashed her sister in the face.

"Are you allowed as many Weapons as you want?" Ryuko asked.

"You're assigned the Weapon that matches your Soul Wavelength, so only one," Maka explained, sitting back down, "but Kid is a special case since Lord Death is his dad and all." Ryuko scratched her head- Lord Death? Who was that?

"Your blood has chilled considerably, Ryuko," Senketsu grumbled.

"Is that bad?" she asked the uniform.

"No, but you don't want it to get too cold," Senketsu assured her.

"Is what bad?" Soul asked. Ryuko slapped a hand to her forehead- she forgot that no one else could hear Senketsu speak except her. Shaking her head, she gulped.

"It's nothing, don't worry," she replied, pricking her head up when she heard the creak of the door. Kid walked out, trailing behind him a taller….. being, she guess. He (or she) was covered head to toe in black, its body looking somewhat square-like atop a bent up pedestal. A white cartoonish looking skull mask rested on the person's face. A chill blew through the air as it got closer to the pool, and Ryuko rubbed her arms, fighting the urge to chatter her teeth.

"Lord Death- sama," the others greeted simultaneously, inclining their heads politely. Ryuko stared, unsure of what to do.

"Are you going to bow?" Senketsu suggested. Ryuko shrugged, the kids having picked up their heads. Kid gestured with a flourish to Ryuko.

"Father, this is Ryuko Matoi," he said, "she's lost."

"Well howdy! Howdy! Howdy!" Lord Death said cheerfully. Ryuko jumped as a pair of white foam looking hands popped out of nowhere, waving happily as he bobbed from side to side. Scrunching her face, she recoiled slightly, eyes widened in surprise.

"Well? Say hello!" Senketsu ordered, and Ryuko managed to stutter out a greeting. His demeanor somehow reminded her of Mako, being loud and exuberant one hundred percent.

"My son tells me that you're lost?" Lord Death said. Ryuko could only nod. If this was Lord Death, then she must be hallucinating. Death was supposed to be scary and terrifying- this guy was just….. childish. His eyes were empty black circles, with gray spirals creating what she supposed was a pupil in the center.

"Just transferred here," Ryuko explained hesitantly, reaching for her Scissor Blade. The guitar case definitely had to get fixed at one point in the future, she noticed as she wrapped her arms around it protectively.

"Transfer?" Kid raised an eyebrow, then to Lord Death, "did you allow any transfers recently?" Lord Death nodded.

"That's why Ryuko Matoi is here!" he said, "to connect with her Weapon!" Maka snapped her fingers excitedly.

"I knew you had a Weapon!" she stated, "so where is he or she?" Ryuko paled. If Senketsu was considered a Weapon- and in this case, he was- how was she to explain his appearance? That that was his 'Weapon Form'?

"Uh…."

"It's Senketsu, right?" Maka asked, "so where's Senketsu?" Sighing, Ryuko placed her Scissor Blade down carefully, her fingers brushing the locks to make sure they were secure- she didn't want Black Star to snoop through her belongings, since he was giving her a somewhat suspicious look. Finally, she gave in, tugging at the uniform.

"This," she said, "is Senketsu." Hysterical laughter broke out amongst the teenagers, but Lord Death was nodding grimly, slapping his white foam hands together. Noticing his sudden change in attitude, Kid scoffed, crossing his arms.

"You can't be serious!" he said. Lord Death could only nod.

"A Kamui," he said, "I've heard about them, but I've never seen one in person."

"Wait- you know what Kamuis are?!" Ryuko exclaimed. If they knew that, then surely they knew where Nui Harime might be. Or if she was dead, which was preferable.

"Yes," Lord Death said, "I require our students learn about them later in the curriculum, but I've never met anyone with one until now." Maka contorted her face, tugging at her pigtails.

"But when have we ever learned about Kamuis?!" she cried in agony, Soul rolling his eyes at her.

"Not yet, but soon," Lord Death assured her. Ruko sighed with relief- so they did know what Kamuis were, but apparently not so much.

That was better than she expected.


End file.
